Clothing pocket insert for holding communications equipment

ABSTRACT

A clothing pocket insert includes: an anchoring portion defining a longitudinal axis and configured to reside within a pocket of a torso garment; an arm extending from the anchoring portion transversely relative to the longitudinal axis; and a connecting portion connected to the arm and configured to couple with an electrical device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to clothing pocket inserts, and, more particularly, to clothing pocket inserts for holding equipment in place.

2. Description of the Related Art

For many occupations, such as law enforcement officers, communication equipment is as much a part of the uniform as a vest and badge. Communication equipment allows law enforcement officers to stay in contact with other law enforcement officers to, for example, report a situation or call for back-up. In this sense, communication equipment plays an important role in keeping law enforcement officers safe while on patrol.

One particular problem that many law enforcement officers encounter while on patrol is keeping their communication equipment, such as a microphone for a radio, at a location where the microphone can reliably pick up and transmit the officer's voice. The officer may elect to hold the microphone in hand in order to raise the microphone close the officer's mouth, but this only leaves the officer with one free hand. In physically demanding situations, such as physical detainment of suspects, having only one free hand both encumbers the officer's ability to perform physically demanding tasks and is potentially dangerous.

One solution that has been explored in the art is to tie the microphone, which is usually a part of a handset, to one of the buttons of the vest worn by the officer. Such a solution places the microphone close to the officer's mouth, allowing the microphone to pick up the officer's voice, and allows the officer to keep both hands free. A well-known drawback to this solution is that movement of the handset in physical situations pulls and otherwise stresses the sewing holding the buttons to the vest. This not only makes the buttons more prone to popping off during cleaning and other situations, requiring replacement of the button, but also more likely to pop off during physical situations, leaving the handset dangling freely and possibly presenting a safety risk to the officer.

What is needed in the art is a convenient way to hold an electrical device that does not require a user to hold the electrical device in hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an insert which can be anchored to a pocket of a torso garment and has a connecting portion which can couple to an electrical device.

The invention in one form is directed to a clothing pocket insert including: an anchoring portion defining a longitudinal axis and configured to reside within a pocket of a torso garment; an arm extending from the anchoring portion transversely relative to the longitudinal axis; and a connecting portion connected to the arm and configured to couple with an electrical device.

The invention in another form is directed to a uniform including a torso garment including a pocket defined between at least two pocket seams; and an insert anchored to the pocket. The insert includes: an anchoring portion residing within the pocket; an arm extending from the anchoring portion; and a connecting portion connected to the arm and configured to couple with an electrical device, the connecting portion residing outside the pocket.

The invention in yet another form is directed to a method of attaching electrical equipment to a torso garment including a pocket, including: anchoring an insert to the pocket such that an anchoring portion of the insert resides within the pocket and a connecting portion connected to the anchoring portion by an arm resides outside of the pocket; and coupling an electrical device to the connecting portion.

An advantage of the present invention is the insert can partially reside within an existing pocket formed in a torso garment to securely attach the electrical device to the garment.

Another advantage is that seams of a pocket are generally more robust than sewing of a button, reducing the risk of the electrical device causing damage to the garment and being removed during physically demanding tasks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a clothing pocket insert formed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the insert shown in FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the insert shown in FIG. 1 being placed in a pocket of a torso garment to form an embodiment of a uniform according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the insert shown in FIG. 3 fully placed in the pocket;

FIG. 5 is a partial-cut away view of the insert and pocket shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an electrical device coupling to the insert when fully placed in the pocket as shown in FIGS. 4-5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the electrical device coupled to the insert which is anchored to the pocket as shown in FIGS. 4-6; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the entire torso garment with the insert anchored to the pocket and the electrical device coupled to the insert.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-2, there is shown an embodiment of a clothing pocket insert 10 which generally includes an anchoring portion 12 defining a longitudinal axis LA, an arm 14 extending from the anchoring portion 12 transversely relative to the longitudinal axis LA, and a connecting portion 16 connected to the arm 14. As used herein, the arm 14 “extends transversely” from the anchoring portion 12 in that an arm axis AA defined by the arm 14 crosses the longitudinal axis LA defined by the anchoring portion 12, i.e., the arm axis AA is transverse to the longitudinal axis LA. As shown in FIG. 1, the arm 14 extends laterally from an arm edge 18 of the anchoring portion 12 so the arm axis AA is perpendicular with the longitudinal axis LA. This allows the arm 14 and connecting portion 16 to easily extend out of a clothing pocket 104, which is described further herein. As can be seen, the anchoring portion 12 can have a substantially rectangular shape and a pair of rounded longitudinal ends 20A, 20B. The first longitudinal end 20A can be shaped as a half-circle with a diameter roughly equivalent to a width W of the anchoring portion 12 and the anchoring portion 12 can taper to the second longitudinal end 20B which can have a half-circle shape with a diameter less than the width W of the anchoring portion 12. To fit and reside within a clothing pocket, the anchoring portion 12 can have a length L of approximately 4 to 8 inches, a width W of approximately 0.5 inches to 1.5 inches, and a thickness T (shown in FIG. 2) of approximately 0.125 to 0.5 inches. It should be appreciated that the shown and described shape and dimensions of the anchoring portion 12 are exemplary only, and the anchoring portion 12 can be formed with any shape and dimensions so long as the anchoring portion 12 can fit within a pocket of a torso garment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the connecting portion 16 is connected to the anchoring portion 12 by the arm 14. The arm 14 can be formed integrally with the anchoring portion 12, as shown, or be connected to the anchoring portion 12 in any suitable fashion. The connecting portion 16 is shaped and adapted to couple with an electrical device 30 (first shown in FIG. 3) so the electrical device 30 can be anchored to a pocket of a torso garment. To allow this coupling, the connecting portion 16 can have a loop opening 22 formed therein to accept a clip or other component of the electrical device 30 so the electrical device 30 connects to the connecting portion 16. While the connecting portion 16 is shown as including the loop opening 22 to couple with the electrical device 30, the connecting portion 16 can include other ways of coupling with the electrical device 30 such as clips, snap buttons, hook fasteners, etc., and it should thus be appreciated that the connecting feature 22 of the shown connecting portion 16 is exemplary only. The connecting portion 16 can define a connector axis CA which forms an acute connector angle a with the longitudinal axis LA defined by the anchoring portion 12 so that when the electrical device 30, such as a handset, is connected to the connecting portion 16, the device 30 is oriented according to user preference.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a cross-section of the clothing pocket insert 10 is shown. As can be seen, the thickness T of the anchoring portion 12 is also the thickness of the arm 14 and the connecting portion 16. Further, top surfaces of the anchoring portion 12, arm 14, and connecting portion 16 all reside in a same plane and bottom surfaces of the anchoring portion 12, arm 14, and connecting portion 16 all reside in a same plane. In this sense, the anchoring portion 12, arm 14, and connecting portion 16 are all substantially planar. As used herein, the term “substantially” signifies that there may be portions of any of the planar elements 12, 14, and 16 that are not in the same plane due to manufacturing tolerances, i.e., the anchoring portion 12, arm 14, and connecting portion 16 are not completely planar, with such tolerances being accounted for in the art during manufacturing. To produce the pocket insert 10 so the anchoring portion 12, arm 14, and connecting portion 16 are substantially planar, the pocket insert 10 can be formed from a sheet of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steel, which is stamped into the desired shape to form the insert 10. By producing the pocket insert 10 in such a fashion, the anchoring portion 12, arm 14, and connecting portion 16 can be integrally formed in a relatively inexpensive fashion. Alternatively, the pocket insert 10 can be formed of other materials, such as a polymer, by molding or any other suitable fabrication technique. It should thus be appreciated that the described materials and manufacturing methods of the pocket insert 10 are exemplary only.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, an embodiment of a uniform 100 formed according to the present invention is shown being produced by placing the pocket insert 10 shown in FIGS. 1-2 in a torso garment 102 having a pocket 104. As used herein, a “torso garment” is any article of clothing that is shaped and adapted for being worn on a human torso. Such torso garments can include but are not limited to: vests, as shown; short-sleeved and long-sleeved shirts; sweaters; business suits; and jackets. As can be seen, the pocket insert 10 is being “anchored” to the pocket 104 in the sense that the anchoring portion 12 resides within the pocket 104 such that the anchoring portion 12, and the connected arm 14 and connecting portion 16, is supported by the pocket 104 while the user wears the uniform 100. The pocket 104 is defined between two or more pocket seams 106A, 106B, 106C which connect the material of the pocket 104 to the material of the torso garment 102 to allow the pocket 104 to hold items placed therein, with such pockets being well-known in the garment industry. The pocket 104 includes a pocket opening 108 which can be defined between two pocket seams 106A, 106B, and it can be through this pocket opening 108 that the anchoring portion 12 of the pocket insert 10 can be placed into the pocket 104. Optionally, the torso garment 102 can have one or more second pockets 109A, 109B formed within the pocket 104. As shown in FIGS. 3-4, the second pockets 109A and 109B, which may also be referred to as sub-pockets, are formed between the pocket seams 106A and 106B by forming a dividing seam 110 between the two pocket seams 106A and 106B to divide the pocket 104 into two sub-pockets 109A and 109B. It should be appreciated that more than two sub-pockets 109A and 109B can be formed within the pocket 104 by adding more dividing seams, if desired. Forming sub-pockets 109A and 109B in the pocket 104 allows the wearer to segregate items placed in the pocket 104 by placing the desired items in the appropriate sub-pocket 109A or 109B, which may help a user organize the items in the pocket 104.

The torso garment 102 can also include a flap 112 which is connected to the torso garment 102 along a flap seam 114 which extends parallel to the pocket opening 108. The flap 112 can be placed in close proximity to the pocket 104 so pulling the flap 112 down, as shown in FIG. 4, covers the pocket opening 108. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the flap 112 can include one or more flap closing features 116, shown as hook and loop fasteners, that couple with corresponding pocket features 118 on material of the pocket 104 to hold the flap 112 in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 4. This allows a user to reversibly cover the pocket opening 108 with the flap 112 in order to keep items placed in the pocket 104 from easily falling out.

Referring specifically now to FIG. 4, the pocket insert 10 is shown anchored to the pocket 104 of the torso garment 102 such that the pocket 104 supports the pocket insert 10. As can be seen, the flap 112 is covering the pocket opening 108 and the arm 14 and connecting portion 16 extend out of the pocket 104 past the pocket seam 106A so an electrical device 30, shown as a handset of a radio unit, can couple to the connecting portion 16 and be held in place by the pocket insert 10. To further secure the anchoring portion 12 to the pocket 104, the flap seam 114 can include a flap seam opening 120 which is partially occupied by a portion of the anchoring portion 12, as shown. Such a configuration allows the entire length L of the anchoring portion 12 to be supported during use and can lower the risk that the pocket insert 10 will fall out of the pocket 104 during physically demanding tasks.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a partial cutaway view of the uniform 100 shown in FIG. 4 is shown. As can be seen, the pocket insert 10 is placed within the pocket 104 in the sub-pocket 109A which is defined between two second pocket seams 111A and 111B formed between the pocket seams 106A and 106B. The sub-pocket 109A, as shown, can have dimensions similar to commonly manufactured “pen pockets” which are included in vests and other uniforms to hold pens and other small items. However, it should be appreciated that the sub-pocket 109A is optional and the uniform 100 can be formed with just the pocket 104 defined between pocket seams 106A, 106B, and 106C. To allow the arm 14 to extend past the pocket seam 106A so the connecting portion 16 can reside outside the pocket 104, a gap 122 can be formed between material of the flap 112 and the pocket opening 108 which provides sufficient clearance for the arm 14 to extend out of the pocket 104. If the pocket insert 10 is designed and shaped to fit within existing torso garments, the dimensions of the arm 14 can be adjusted to fit in many different gap sizes formed between the flap 112 and the pocket opening 108 so the connecting portion 16 can reside outside the pocket 104 when the anchoring portion 12 is placed within the pocket 104. When the anchoring portion 12 is placed within and supported by the pocket 104, as shown, the longitudinal axis LA defined by the anchoring portion 12 can be parallel to a pocket axis PA defined by the pocket seam 106A, so the length L of the anchoring portion 12 is supported on both lateral sides by the sub-pocket 109A.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the handset 30 is shown coupling to the connecting portion 16 of the pocket insert 10. As can be seen, the handset 30 has a clip 32 which clips onto the loop opening 22 of the connecting portion 16 so the handset 30 is anchored to the pocket 104 by connection to the connecting portion 16 of the pocket insert 10. This keeps the handset 30 at a location on the uniform 100, as shown in FIGS. 7-8, that allows the handset 30 to pick up and transmit the user's voice during physically demanding tasks, such as running. It should be appreciated that the handset 30 can couple to the connecting portion 16 in other ways than using the shown clip 32, as previously described. While the electrical device 30 is shown as a handset of a radio, other electrical devices can also be connected to the connecting portion 16 including but not limited to cameras, video recorders, microphones, phones, etc. It should therefore be appreciated that the pocket insert 10 and uniform 100 formed according to the present invention allows a user to conveniently and securely attach electrical equipment to the torso garment 102 for use. Such uniforms 100 can be useful for many users, including but not limited to law enforcement officers, firefighters, armed service members, etc. to reduce the risk of damage to the electrical device 30 and free one of the user's hands from having to carry the electrical device 30.

While this invention has been described with respect to at least one embodiment, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A clothing pocket insert, comprising: an anchoring portion defining a longitudinal axis and configured to reside within a pocket of a torso garment; an arm extending from said anchoring portion transversely relative to said longitudinal axis; and a connecting portion connected to said arm and configured to couple with an electrical device.
 2. The insert according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said anchoring portion and said arm has a thickness of less than 0.5 inches.
 3. The insert according to claim 1, wherein said anchoring portion, said arm, and said connecting portion are substantially planar.
 4. The insert according to claim 1, wherein said anchoring portion has an arm edge and said arm extends laterally from said arm edge.
 5. The insert according to claim 4, wherein said arm is integrally formed with said anchoring portion.
 6. The insert according to claim 5, wherein said arm extends perpendicularly relative to said longitudinal axis.
 7. The insert according to claim 6, wherein said connecting portion defines a connector axis, said connector axis and said longitudinal axis forming an acute angle.
 8. The insert according to claim 1, wherein said connecting portion includes at least one of a loop opening, a clip, and a snap button.
 9. The insert according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said anchoring portion, said arm, and said connecting portion comprises a metal.
 10. A uniform, comprising: a torso garment including a pocket defined between at least two pocket seams; and an insert anchored to said pocket, said insert including: an anchoring portion residing within said pocket; an arm extending from said anchoring portion; and a connecting portion connected to said arm and configured to couple with an electrical device, said connecting portion residing outside said pocket.
 11. The uniform according to claim 10, wherein said arm extends past at least one of said pocket seams outside of said pocket.
 12. The uniform according to claim 11, wherein said anchoring portion defines a longitudinal axis which is parallel to a pocket axis defined by at least one of said pocket seams.
 13. The uniform according to claim 12, wherein said arm extends perpendicularly relative to said longitudinal axis.
 14. The uniform according to claim 10, wherein said pocket is defined between three pocket seams and a pocket opening is formed between two pocket seams.
 15. The uniform according to claim 14, further comprising a flap connected to said torso garment which reversibly covers at least a portion of said pocket opening.
 16. The uniform according to claim 15, wherein said flap is connected to said torso garment along a flap seam, said flap seam having a seam opening at least partially occupied by said anchoring portion of said anchoring portion.
 17. The uniform according to claim 10, wherein said torso garment includes a second pocket defined between at least two second pocket seams, said second pocket being located between said at least two pocket seams and said anchoring portion residing within said second pocket.
 18. The uniform according to claim 10, further comprising an electrical device coupled to said connecting portion.
 19. A method of attaching electrical equipment to a torso garment including a pocket, comprising: anchoring an insert to said pocket such that an anchoring portion of said insert resides within said pocket and a connecting portion connected to said anchoring portion by an arm resides outside of said pocket; and coupling an electrical device to said connecting portion.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said anchoring portion, said arm, and said connecting portion are integrally formed together. 